Gwent Campaigns Look to Redefine the Collectible Card Game Scene

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game will have a campaign mode that allows players to explore the world and play various missions, something unheard of in most other CCGs.

Most digital collectible card games, or CCGs, offer players unique gameplay and a series of bosses to play to hone their skills before venturing off into the competitive realm of PvP. Some games such as Hearthstone regularly mix things up with new campaigns that introduce new cards and new bosses. But never before has a game broken beyond the bounds of the table to give players a map to wander, or companions to interact with. Until now.

Back in August, the folks at CD Projekt Red announced a campaign mode named Thronebreaker featuring Queen Meve, a war veteran seeking revenge after the second Nilfgaardian invasion. This weekend, developers took to YouTube to announce more details which promise to set the game apart from other CCGs, and hold it true to the Witcher universe.

As I mentioned above, Thronebreaker will feature a series of maps which will allow players to explore for loot, and engage in side missions. While the map is a far cry from what we would find in The Witcher 3, it holds true to the Gwent artstyle and unlocks more complexity than a simple, “Follow the road,” campaign. According to developers, the routes players explore will influence which companions players will unlock, and the interactions with said companions will affect the outcome of the campaign. Replayability galore!

And the campaign won’t be told through simple chat bubbles either. Characters old and new will be fully voiced – in multiple languages – lending life to the story. And did I mention cutscenes? Not 3D cutscenes, 2D cutscenes, but no less robust as the beautiful art style brings the scenes to life.

The stories told in Gwent: The Witcher Card Game’s campaigns won’t interact directly with the main stories from the Witcher series, but developers say that players will see some familiar faces, and the stories will lend more depth and breadth to the world and the characters that inhabit the Witcher realm.

Hold on. I’m not done yet. (Rejoice, for there is more!)

Along the campaign Meve will build her army (deck) by recruiting villagers and building a base camp. As different tents are unlocked in the base camp, new equipment and units will become available, adding yet another layer of depth to the campaign.

While much of the loot in the Thronebreaker campaign can be carried over to multiplayer decks, most of the cards unlocked in single player will not. According to the developers, this allows them to introduce more fun, and potentially overpowered abilities to the story that would otherwise break PvP. This added layer of challenge is something players loved from the original Gwent game in The Witcher 3 where NPC opponents would present increasingly difficult and unique decks that would test players abilities and teach them new strategies along the way.

Overall, the Thronebreaker campaign promises to bring an incredible amount of depth to Gwent: The Witcher Game, which will set it head and shoulders above its colleagues in the CCG world. It is a glorious time to be a CCG fan, my friends.

Gwent: The Witcher Card game is currently in open beta and is available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.